The Way We Green: Environmental Strategic Plan

The Way We Greenis the City of Edmonton's 30-year environmental strategic plan with emphasis on resilience and sustainability. The Way We Green sets 12 goals that need to be reached for Edmonton to achieve a sustainable and resilient future. Learn more about each of these goals, what’s included in The Way We Green and the City’s other environmental plans.

Innovation in Sustainability

Summary
Measured by the provincial Air Quality Index, Edmonton's air quality has improved significantly since the 70s. However, Alberta Environment's Particulate Matter (PM) and Ozone Assessment indicated the Edmonton region had an increasing intensity of ground level ozone. Overall, Edmonton is exposed to a combination of regulated and unregulated emissions that some experts describe as "poorly understood".

Summary
Energy is our "master resource", providing us with heat, power, mobility, commodities and the potentional for economic growth. However, it also raises two key challenges:
(1) diminishing supply in relation to increasing demand
(2) negative effects on the environment
Edmonton's long-term resilience and sustainability calls for a significant response to these challenges. Despite our energy resources, we still need to be more energy conserving and efficient, and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Goals

Edmonton's sources and uses of energy are sustainable

Edmonton is resilient to disturbances that could affect its energy supplies and distribution system

Summary
In North America, food provision is driven by the principle of cost-effective production and economies of scale. This has resulted in a system that increases distance and anonymity between producers and consumers. Currently, Edmonton's food supply is secure, but this could change. Risks associated with climate disruptions, international protectionist food policies and higher priced fossil fuels could reduce our access to global food systems. One response is to ensure that a reasonable proportion of our food comes from local sources.

Goal

Edmonton has a resilient food and agriculture system that contributes to the local economy and the overall cultural, financial, social and environmental sustainability of the city.

Summary
Edmonton's sustainability and resilience is inherently tied to the health of global and local ecosystems. A key measure of ecosystem health is biodiversity - the degree of variation of life forms. While Edmonton is vulnerable to ecosystem losses that are happening beyond its borders, it is also experiencing losses locally. The opportunity to protect our remaining natural habitats will be gone within 15 years, based on projected rates of development.

Goal

Edmonton's communities are full of nature - a place where in the course of everyday life, residents experience a strong connection with nature.

Summary
Even though much of Edmonton's residential waste is diverted from landfill, the quantities generated here are large. The challenge will be to reduce the amount of solid waste generated, while increasing the amount of waste diverted from landfills through recycling and other initiatives in an economically feasible way.

Summary
As Edmonton's sole source of water supply, the North Saskatchewan River is fundamental to our sustainability. Edmonton's water supply is adequate to meet current needs and we are resilient to short term water supply disturbances. However, there is much uncertainty surrounding the scenarios Edmonton could face in the future involving the flow of the North Saskatchewan River

Goals

Water quality in the North Saskatchewan River sustains healthy people and healthy ecosystems